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(No Model.) 4 ShetsSheet 1 F. I. GIBBS & W. WRIGHT.

ROLLER SKATE.

No. 578,081. Patented Mar. 2,1897.

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o o in [4 '//jIIIl// WITNESSES .//VVENTORS,

(No Model.)

w/r/v5s s55 //v VENTORS PI :LGIBBS & W WRIGHT4SheetsSheet 2.

ROLLER SKATE.

Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 3.

Pl 1. GIBBS & WWRIGHT.

ROLLER SKATE.

No. 578,081. Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

W/TNESSES INVENTQRS.

(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet; 4. P. I. GIBBS & WPWRIGHT. ROLLER SKATE.

N0.'5'78,081. Patented Mar. 2, 1897.

F I q 16 WITNESSES v //vv/v7'0/?s I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 1oRNs GIBBS AND WILLlAM wRIGnT, or BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

ROLLER-SKATE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 578,081, dated March 2, 1897. Application filed August 12, 1895. Serial No. 559,065. (No d l.) Patentedin England December 11, 1894;,110. 24,038-

To all 1071,0717, it may concern:

Be it known that we FRANK IORNS GIBBS and WVI'KLI'AM XV RIGHT, subjects of Her Maj esty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Birmingham, in the count I of Warwick,England,have invented certain new and useful Improvemcntsin Roller-Skates, of

which the following is a specification.

,The'invention has been patented in England, No. 24,038, dated December 11, 1894.

This invention has reference to those pneumatic and other roller-skates which are made with two pneumatic or other rollers under the foot-plate or tread; and the objects of this invention are, first, to so construct the metallic frames of the said skates that they can be made lighter, stronger, and cheaperthan heretofore, and, secondly, to aiford better means for fixing the said skates to the wearsectional plan of the same.

ers feet and for preventing strain on the wearers ankles.

Our said invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, pnwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pneumatic or other roller-skate constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectionalele- Vation of the same. Fig. 3 is an inverted Fig. 4 isa crosssection through one of the rollers of the same. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the frame of the same. Fig. 6 is a plan, and

Fig. 7 isa side elevation, of a part of the said metallic frame to illustrate how the same is made; and Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively'a 1 of the said frame.

plan and elevation of a part of the foot-plate Fig. 10 represents on a smaller scale a sheet-metal blank for forming the part of the frame represented by Figs.6 and 7 Fig. 11 is another form of the said blank,

and Fig. 12 shows a portion of one of the hOI'Tl'.

is a side elevation, and .Fig. 14: is an inverted sectional plan,of another form of the said metallic frame. Fig. 15 is, a cross-sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 16 shows one of the parts of the same separately, and Fig."

17 shows the metal part of the ankle-support of the said frame separately.

The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

, A is the foot-plate, made with two pairsof Fig. 13,

horn-pieces, (marked,respectively,l3 B 0 C proper distance apart and the horn-pieces strengthened by the side stays F'Fg extending from one axle D to the other axle D made of a single piece of sheet metal, which is liable to twist, and the pairs of horn-pieces have also been made of single sheet metal separate from' the foot-plate and riveted thereto.

' IIeretofore the foot-plate A has been usually We attain the first object of this invention by making the foot-plate A and the said hornpieces hollow in any-of the several ways, which we will now describe, thereby enabling the skate-frame to be made lighter, stronger, and cheaper than heretofore. According to one method of carrying out this partof our invention (see Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12) we make the upper part A of the foot-plate and the two pairs of horn-pieces B B C 6 together from a sheet-metal blank.

of. the corresponding shape and size, such, for instance, as shown on a smaller scale by Fig. 10, the said blank having the shape of the foot-plate A and the halves of the hornpieces B 13 0 C standing out from the sides of the same. pieces are raised into somewhat of a trough These halves of the hornshape in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, and

bent downwardly at right angles to the footplate A, so as to occupy the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Each of the half-horns B 13 0 0 is strengthened bya separate half horn-piece G, also made of a trough-section (shown separately by Fig. 12) corresponding therewith and soldered to the halves of the horn-pieces, which are raised with the footplate A, so that the completed horns will then be hollow, as shown in Figs..2 and 3, and very light and strong. The hollow portion of the horns extend almost to the lower ends of the same, these lower ends being flattened and pierced with holes I c for the axles D D to pass through.

' The two tubular stays F F, which secure the axle ends of the horns at the proper dis-.

tanceapart, may be made separate from the horns, as at present, or (and this is what we prefer) the said tubular stays F F are raised in a piece with the horn and foot-plate A by cutting out the blank to the proper shape, as shown, for instance, on a reduced scale by Fig. 11, the cross-strips F F connecting the horns, which cross-strips are closed around into the tubular form. Instead of the inner halves G of each of ,the two horns at either side of the skate being made separate from eachother, as above described, and sho'wn in Fig. 12, the two inner parts G for two of the horns at either side of the skate may be formed together with one of the cross-strips F F as i shown in Fig. 16, this cross-strip being afterward bent around into the tubular or semitubular form, and thus (in combination with the other half of the cross-piece which is formed with'the blank, Fig. 11) make the nomplete cross-stays -F F or, as shown inFigs. l3 and 14, the two pairs of horns may be made entirely of four sheet-metal stampings of the hollow shape shown by Fig. 16, each stamping consisting of two half-horns G. G and one-half of-one of the cross-bars F F This will be clear by an examination of Fig. '14, where it will be seen that the four sheet-metal stampings, such as shown by Fig. 16, are marked, respectively, GG G G, the meeting edges of each pair of .stampings being soldeied or otherwise fixed together to form the tabular horn-pieces and cross-stays, as above described. In this case the horn-pieces, are by preference fixed-to the foot-plate A by the latterheing raised with :small downwardlyprojeeting pommels a, inwhich the bases of the horns fit and where they are fixed,.prefemblybeing soldered therein. The hornpieces are further strengthenedat-their bases by-the hollow stampings G which are soldered to the foot-plate A and to the hornpieces, thus making the frame very strong. We also make the foot-plate A hollow by fixing' thereto, preferably on the inside of the. same, another plate (marked H) and shown separately byFigs. 8 and 9 of similar shape to the foot-plate A, with the edges'h'. turned upwardly and soldered or otherwise similarly -fi-xed to the under side of the foot-plate A.

creased thickness or corrugated, so as to obtain greateristrength.

We obtain the second ankles, the said pneumatic or roller skates are at present made with upright side stays,- which extend for some'seven inches, more or less, above the foot-plate and are secured to I trated by Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 8.

- bearings. V object of our invem tien as 'follows: 'In order to support the users to or formed with the foot-plate, but according to this part of our invention we fix the two leg-supports 1'1 together by cross-bars, such as 1 1 (see Fig. 17,).and we joint the leg-supports I I to the sides of the foot-plate or horns by pins J J (see Figs. 1 and -2,) so

asto allow'of a certain movement of the users ankles. One of these cross-barsviz., I formsalso the stop for the back of the wearers heel and the other cross-bar I is higher up where the fixing-strap I is arranged. We prefer to make the two cross-bars I I .in a piece with the leg-support 1 1 as shown 1n Fig. l7, although,if preferred,these cross-bars may be made separate from the uprights I I and be riveted or otherwise suitably fixed thereto. The strap 1 with crossbar'liat-the top of the leg-support, fitsaround the-weerers leg and secures the leg-supports thereto. Our

improved means for securing the toe part of the foot-plate to the wearers boots illus- We provide near the toe end of the skate a pair of-side grippers L L which projeetupwardlyat Z and are adapted to grip the sole-of. the-wearersboot. These side grippers-arecon-tmued underneath the sole-plate A of the skate and turned on acentral pin m or-on- .twepina preferably made as near as rpossible .to the toe end of the skate. The side grippers L L are, by the pair of links L L ,.respect 1vely jointed'to the eentralsliding piece L, which is suitably guided by the pins m 10 fined to the sole-plate A of the skate, and is continued backwardly toward the0therendof theskate and is thereconnectetl to a coiled .or other wire spring m which has a. tendenoyte pull the slide L hackwardly andtheisit gr ppers QL L toward each other to grip .thewearers Thesaid grippers are each-furnished part N for fastening over the'toe] ot witha top part of the wearers boot to firmlysecure-the skate'thereto. On the top side of the scieplate A there is a stop K, having its back edge 70 turned up to bear against the-frontof the wearerjs heel. This stop K can :be moved to and fro and isadjusted on the foot plate A bypins 10 10 on the sole-plate A, in slots k in the stop 'K. By the nut-Jr on the screw lo the stopK- can be cramped to .the sna -r te A in anydesired p'oaitien. 'The 'screwinguphf this nut also fixes theshde L and-the grippers L L at their properd stance apart to suit the wearers boot.

The wheels or rollersE Earemadein'any suitable manner with pneumatic bit-rubber- -'covered or soft tires to reduce vibmtmnpld they are by preference provided with-ballstrueted-asshown on our drawings,- butithese wheels form no part of this invmhon and we We prefer to use Make no claim in respect of them. of L the said wheels is made in halves-andwonsists of two dished sheet-metal disksiO fi,

(see Figs. and2,),fixed togetheriaoe'wface,

as shown, by cross-bolts or by other means, and each made with an outwardly-projecting rim, so that the rims and the two disks will together form the complete rim of the wheel. Each of the said disks 0 O of the wheels has raised with it an outwardly-projecting central boss, which bosses are marked, respectively, 0 O and each of these bosses is fitted with a steel or other metal cup for the balls of the ball-bearings,which two cups are marked, respectively, 0 0 which are fitted and soldered or otherwise fixed into the central holes of the bosses O 0 In these cups are contained, as shown, the halls of the ball-bearings, which balls revolve on the usual coned collars fixed or otherwise secured on the,

wheel-axle. The wheel shown in Fig. v4 is fitted with a pneumatic tire, of which 0 is the inner air-tube and 0 is the outer indiarubber or like covering of the pneumatic tire,

but we make no claim to this pneumatic tire tudinall y between the two plates, the grippers with connections to the said bar, the spring m connected to the sliding bar, said spring and grippers being arranged between the two plates, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a foot-plate, the wheels having their journals supported thereby, the grippers L L sliding bar L", the spring connected therewith, the heel-plate and the adjusting device consisting of the headed screw K engaging the heel-plate and the slide and the not for setting the screw in any desired position and thus adjusting the grippers, substantiallyas described.

3. In combination, the foot-plate, having the depending horns, a plate H secured to the bottom thereof, the horn-pieces G secured to the depending horns of the foot-plate and the grippers L L with means for operating the same arranged between the foot-plate and the plate H, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we havehereunto set our hands in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK IORNS GIBBS.

. WILLIAM WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BOSWORTH KELLEY, HERBERT WHITEHOUSE. 

